General Question

zarnold's avatar

A finder alternative for mac os x?

Asked by zarnold (708points) October 14th, 2007

I’ve spent a lot of time looking for a (preferably freeware/OSS) file manager that has the functionality of windows explorer or the gnome file manager, but for mac os x. Specifically, I’d like to be able to cut/copy files rather than drag them, have an actual text address bar at the top of the window and I’d also like to be able to configure it to open whenever I click on a directory. Also better support for viewing hidden/system files might be nice. Or if anyone knows how to tweak the default finder for these features, that’d be great too. Thanks much!

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6 Answers

sharl's avatar

You can copy/paste files in the Finder, and Apple-backspace deletes them. I use BBEdit for quick viewing of invisible files, but the terminal might suit you better. I’m sure others will know of better GUI utilities for this. Good luck!

sharl (424points)“Great Answer” (1points) Flag as…
bob's avatar

You’ll probably like Path Finder.

It’s not free, but it has directory info at the top, and it probably has the other features you want. It seems like the most popular Finder replacement, and it’s definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for something like that.

bob (3223points)“Great Answer” (1points) Flag as…
zarnold's avatar

thanks much

zarnold (708points)“Great Answer” (0points) Flag as…
gcoghill's avatar

Also check out Fork Lift which is probably more of an additional tool than a Finder replacement – but could easily work as a replacement. This isn’t free either.

You’ve got me wonering if there are any shareware/freeware apps that would solve the file path as text situation you referred to… no lucj on MacUpdate.

gcoghill (139points)“Great Answer” (1points) Flag as…
gcoghill's avatar

Looks like Mac OS X 10.5 will have the file path feature

Path Bar
See the path of a file when you view it in the Finder. Just choose Show Path Bar from the View menu and the path is visible at the bottom of the Finder window. You can also drag files to any location in the Path Bar.

gcoghill (139points)“Great Answer” (1points) Flag as…

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